2 Kings 15:19

19 In all the days of him, Pul, the king of Assyria, came into Tirzah. And Menahem gave to Pul a thousand talents of silver, that he should be to him into help, and should make steadfast his realm; (In all his days, Pul, the king of Assyria, came against the land. And Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, so that he would help him, and strengthen Menahem's hold on his kingdom;)

2 Kings 15:19 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 15:19

And Pul the king of Assyria came against the land
The land of Israel, he invaded it; a Jewish chronologer ^F21 calls him Pulbelicho; and he is generally thought to be the same with Belochus or Belesis, governor of Babylon, who, with Arbaces the Mede, slew Sardanapalus, said to be the last of the Assyrian kings, and translated the empire to the Chaldeans; he ruling over Babylon and Nineveh, and Arbaces over the Medes and Persians; but Pul was not a Babylonian, but an Assyrian ^F23, and the first king of the Assyrians, at least, the Scriptures speak of: we read no more of him; but one Metasthenes, a Persian historian, feigned and published by Annius, and so named by him instead of Megasthenes, calls him Phulbelochus, and says ^F24 he reigned forty eight years:

and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver;
and a talent of silver, according to Brerewood ^F25 was three hundred and seventy five pounds; but Bishop Cumberland ^F26 calculates it at three hundred and fifty three pounds eleven shillings and ten pence half penny; 1,000 of them made a large sum of money, according to the former 375,000 pounds; and this he gave to him, not only to desist from the invasion of his land, but

that his hand might be with him;
and not against him:

and to confirm the kingdom in his hand;
which being got by usurpation, and supported by cruelty, was but tottering.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F21 David Ganz. Tzemach David, par. 2. fol. 5. 2.
F23 See the Universal History, vol. 4. B. 1. ch. 8. sect. 5.
F24 De Judicio Temp. & Annal. Pers. fol. 221. 2.
F25 De Ponder & Pret. Vet. Num. c. 4.
F26 Scripture Weights and Measures, c. 4. p. 120.

2 Kings 15:19 In-Context

17 In the nine and thirtieth year of Azariah, king of Judah, Menahem, the son of Gadi, reigned upon Israel ten years in Samaria. (In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah, or Uzziah, the king of Judah, Menahem, the son of Gadi, began to reign upon Israel, and he reigned ten years in Samaria.)

18 And he did that, that was evil before the Lord; he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, that made Israel to do sin.

19 In all the days of him, Pul, the king of Assyria, came into Tirzah. And Menahem gave to Pul a thousand talents of silver, that he should be to him into help, and should make steadfast his realm; (In all his days, Pul, the king of Assyria, came against the land. And Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, so that he would help him, and strengthen Menahem's hold on his kingdom;)

20 and Menahem setted tollage of silver on Israel, to all [the] mighty men and rich, that he would give to the king of Assyria; he setted fifty shekels of silver to one man, that is, to each man; and the king of Assyria turned again, and dwelled not in Tirzah. (and Menahem put a toll, or a tax, of silver on Israel, on all the rich and mighty men, to give to the king of Assyria; he set the toll at fifty shekels of silver from each man; and after receiving this payment, then the king of Assyria left, and did not stay in the land.)

21 Forsooth the residue of the words of Menahem, and all things that he did, whether these be not written in the book of [the] words of [the] days of the kings of Israel?